Ball throwing machine



July 26, 1966 c. D. JOHNS 3,262,439

BALL THROWING MACHINE Filed Nov. 6, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

007% D Il 7 July 26, 1966 c. D. JOHNS 3,262,439

BALL THROWING MACHINE Filed Nov. 6, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,262,439 BALL THROWING MACHINE Clifton 1). Johns, 1002 39th St., Columbus, Ga. Filed Nov. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 409,370 3 Claims. (Cl. 124'-7) This invention relates to a ball throwing mach-inc and more particularly to a machine adapted to throw baseballs, particularly softballs, with the primary object that the trajectory of a ball thrown by the machine is substantially as required by the official rules of the game of softball.

Another object of this invention is to provide a baseball throwing machine adapted automatically and successively to throw a plurality of balls in a predetermined tfashion and at regular, preselected timed intervals.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a ball throwing machine of the character designated having a relatively simple ball magazine and delivery system actuated by the throwing arm when it is cocked whereby a single ball is delivered at the proper time to the throwing arm.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a ball throwing machine of the character designated in which the force with which the ball is thrown is easily varied whereby the speed of the ball thrown may be controlled.

In the following description of the structure and opera FIG. 2 is a fragmental front elevational view taken generally along line 22 of 'FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmental side elevational view with certain parts omitted for the sake of clarity, showing in dashed lines the positions of the throwing arm and ball delivery mechanism at the fully cooked position;

FIG. 4- is a detail view showing the relationship of the throwing arm and follower arm and cam at the instant the throwing arm is released; and,

FIG. 5 is a fragmental plan view of the machine certain parts being omitted for the sake of clarity, showing the ball delivery mechanism and magazine in greater detail.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, -1 show a frame indicated generally at having a horizontal portion 11 and an upstanding portion 12. As shown in FIG. 2 the upstanding portion 12 is in the shape of an inverted U having leg portions 12 and 12 and a base portion 12. A shaft 13 is secured between leg portions 12 and 12 at a point somewhat above the intersection of the horizontal portion 11 with the upstanding portion 12. Mounted for rotation on shaft 13 is a sleeve 14 to which is rigidly attached an elongated arm member 16 and a cam follower member 17.

A cam indicated generally by the numeral 118 is pivotally secured to the horizontal portion of the frame 11. The cam 18 is in position to engage the cam follower arm 17 as the cam is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 1 by the cam drive means to be described hereinafter. The cam comprises a roller 19 carried on the end of a cam arm 21 which is rotatably mounted as at 22 on the horizontal frame 11. A driver stud 23 is carried by a sprocket wheel 24 and engages the arm 21. The sprocket wheel 24 is operatively connected to the motor 26 by means of a chain and sprocket, belt and pulley arrangement indicated generally by the numeral 27. This drive arrangement reduces the r.p.rn. of the power supplied by the motor from approximately 1700 r.p.m. at the motor to 6 r.p.m. at the cam drive sprocket.

The throwing arm 16 is resiliently powered or urged in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow 28 in FIG. 1 by means of a plurality of tension springs 29. The lower ends of the springs 29 are secured to the throwing arm 16 by means of outwardly extending lugs 31 carried by the throwing arm 16 on opposite sides thereof at a point 32, somewhat above the lowermost end of the throwing arm 16. The upper ends of the springs 29 are secured to lugs 33 carried by sliding brackets 64. The sliding brackets 64 are in turn adjustably secured to the frame 12 by means of bolts :36 passing through holes in the frame 12 and slots 37 in the brackets 34.

In operation the motor 26 powers the drive mechanism 27 to turn drive sprocket 24 counterclockwise, as indicated by the arrow 3-8 in FIG. 1. The drive stud 23 carried by the sprocket 24 engages the cam arm 21, thus pushing the cam roller 19 in a circular path about the axis 22. The roller 19 engages the cam follower arm 17 and pushes the same downwardly and to the left as viewed in FIG. 1, thus pulling the throwing arm 16 downwardly in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow '39., As the arm 16 is pulled downwardly the point 32 on the arm 16 moves away from the point 33 on the [frame thus putting the springs 29 under tension. The roller 19 continues to move in a circular path pushing the arm 17 to the position shown in FIG. 4. When the roller 19 on the cam 18 passes the arm 17 the spring 29 pulls in the direction indicated by the arrow 41 in FIG. 4 and thus pulls the throwing arm 16 swiftly upwardly in a throwing motion, as indicated by the arrow 28. As the arm 16 reaches approximately a vertical position the power in the springs 29 is exhausted and the arm stops but the ball continues to travel, thus being launched into its trajectory. The speed with which the arm 16 is pulled upwardly may be varied by adjusting the tension in the springs 29 by means of the above mentioned brackets 34.

Turning now to the ball storage magazine and delivery mechanism, it is seen by referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 5 that I provide a ball storage magazine indicated generally at 42 which comprises two parallel rails 43 and 44 which are horizontally spaced from each other and secured to the frame of the machine by means of brackets 46 and 47. The rails 43 and 44 are inclined toward the rear of the machine, and are spaced apart so that they support balls 15 in a manner such that the balls move along the rails toward the rear of the machine, namely, to the right as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3. A cradle assembly 49 is pivotally secured to upstanding members 51 which are in turn fixed to the horizontal frame 11. The cradle comprises a pair of support rails 5-2, a rear guide 53 and a block member 54. A tongue 56 extends forwardly between the support rails 52 in position to be engaged by the throwing arm 16 as hereinafter described in greater detail. One end of a link member 57 is pivotally connected to the cradle as at 58. The other end of the link member '57 is connected to a gating assembly 59 which comprises two horizontal outwardly projecting rods 61 and 62 carried by an arm 6-3. Arm 63 is pivoted intermediate its ends to an upstanding member 64 on the frame 11.

In operation a ball 15 is placed in the cradle 49. Balls are also in the magazine 42, being held from moving downwardly because of the engagement of the rod 62 with the lowermost of the balls. The cam drive mechanism engages the cam with the follower arm 17 and pulls the throwing arm 16 downwardly as described above. As the arm 16 approaches its lowermost position its outermost extremity contacts the tongue 56 thus causing the cradle to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 3, until the arm 16 and the cradle 49 assume the position shown in dotted lines. In this position the ball rolls into the hand portion H of the throwing arm 16. As the cradle rotates to the dotted line position it pulls the link 57 downwardly which in turn rotates the arm 53 about its pivot point thus raising the rod 62 and lowering the rod 61. When the rod 62 is raised the lowermost ball in the magazine is allowed to drop free of the magazine into a cross-race 65 where it rolls toward the cradle until it strikes the member 54 and is retained until the cradle resumes its original position, whereupon the ball in the cross-race rolls into the cradle. The rod 61 in the meantime restrains the other balls in the magazine from moving.

I provide for a dwell or pause between the time the throwing arm 16 reaches its fully cocked position and the time that it is released by providing a curved portion 66 at the end of the cam follower arm 17 having the same radius as the radius of rotation of the cam. That is to say, when the cam roller 19 reaches the point 67 on the follower arm 17 the arm 16 has reached its lowermost position. Since the curve from the point 67 to the end of the arm 17 is of the same radius as the radius of rotation of the cam, the arm 16 does not move until the cam moves past the end of the follower arm as shown in FIG. 4. This dwell time allows the ball to be delivered to the throwing arm and come to rest so that the system is stable when the throwing motion commences.

From the foregoing it is seen that I have devised a new and improved ball throwing machine in which balls are tossed or thrown with a predetermined force at regular, timed intervals. I provide a magazine and delivery system which automatically positions a ball in the hand portion of the throwing arm for each throw. By providing a power train which reduces the speed of rotation from the motor to the cocking mechanism I am able to use a relatively small motor to operate a powerful, positively acting machine. The cam 18 rotates separately from the drive sprocket to prevent undue strain from being applied to the drive mechanism at the instant the follower arm is released. By providing a pair of ground engaging wheels 68 at the rear of the machine I make the machine portable, as the member 12' can be used as a handle whereby the machine is lifted and moved. A removable spike 69 may be provided at the lowermost part of the upstanding frame 12 whereby the machine may be anchored to the ground when in use. The machine is durable, positive in action and relatively simple to manufacture.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a ball throwing machine including a frame, a throwing arm pivotally mounted on said frame for motion ment which comprises:

(a) means to support a row of balls for movement in one direction,

(b) a vertical member secured to said frame adjacent the end of said support means toward which said balls move,

(c) a cross member the length of which is substantially the same as the diameter of one of said balls pivotally secured to said vertical member substantially parallel to said support means,

(d) first and second stop members secured to the ends of said cross member and extending above and across said support means a distance substantially the same as the diameter of one of said balls, said first stop member being secured to the end of said cross member nearest the above mentioned end of said support means, said second stop member being secured to the other end of said cross member,

(e) means to tilt said cross member whereby said first stop member contacts and retains a ball on said support means until the throwing arm reaches its cocked position whereupon said first stop member releases said ball while said second stop member retains another ball, and

(f) means to deliver the ball released by said first stop member to the throwing arm.

2. A ball throwing machine as defined in claim 1 in Which said means to deliver the ball released by said first stop member to the throwing arm comprises:

(a) a ball cradle pivotally secured to the frame in position to receive a ball released by said first stop member,

(b) a forwardly extending tongue member on said ball cradle in position to be contacted by the throwing arm as it comes into cocked position, and

(c) said ball cradle being pivoted forwardly of its center of gravity whereby it remains in ball retaining position until the throwing arm contacts said tongue member to pivot the ball cradle to a ball delivery position.

3. A ball throwing machine as defined in claim 2 in which said means to tilt said cross member comprises a link member pivotally secured to said ball cradle and said cross member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 783,523 2/1905 Hoffman 1247 2,815,743 12/1957 Bruderman 1247 2,877,757 3/ 1959 Giovagnoli 124-7 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A BALL THROWING MACHINE INCLUDING A FRAME, A THROWING ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR MOTION IN A VERTICAL PLANE BETWEEN SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL COCKED POSITION AND A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL DISCHARGE POSITION, RESILIENT MEANS TO MOVE SAID ARM UPWARDLY IN THROWING MOTION TOWARD THE DISCHARGE POSITION, AND MEANS TO MOVE THE ARM DOWNWARDLY TO THE COCKED POSITION, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: (A) MEANS TO SUPPORT A ROW OF BALLS FOR MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION, (B) A VERTICAL MEMBER SECURED TO SAID FRAME ADJACENT THE END OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS TOWARD WHICH SAID BALLS MOVE, (C) A CROSS MEMBER THE LENGTH OF WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE DIAMETER OF ONE OF SAID BALLS PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID VERTICAL MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS, (D) FIRST AND SECOND STOP MEMBERS SECURED TO THE ENDS OF SAID CROSS MEMBER AND EXTENDING ABOVE THE SAME SAID SUPPORT MEANS A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE DIAMETER OF ONE OF SAID BALLS, SAID FIRST STOP MEMBER BEING SECURED TO THE END OF SAID CROSS MEMBER NEAREST THE ABOVE MENTIONED END OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS, SAID SECOND STOP MEMBER BEING SECURED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID CROSS MEMBER, (E) MEANS TO TILT SAID CROSS MEMBER WHEREBY SAID FIRST STOP MEMBER CONTACTS AND RETAINS A BALL ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS UNTIL THE THROWING ARM REACHES ITS COCKED POSITION WHEREUPON SAID FIRST STOP MEMBER RELEASES SAID BALL WHILE SAID SECOND STOP MEMBER RETAINS ANOTHER BALL, AND (F) MEANS TO DELIVER THE BALL RELEASED BY SAID FIRST STOP MEMBER TO THE THROWING ARM. 